Message from the Judge In Charge

Honorable Melissa M. Phinn, Judge In Charge
Courthouse East, Chambers 550
111 N. Calvert Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
Telephone: (410) 545-6235/36
Fax: (410) 545-6237

The Criminal Division is comprised of two Felony Reception Courts, one Misdemeanor Reception court, an adult Drug Treatment Court, and a Mental Health Court.

The judge sitting in the Felony Reception Court, during the morning docket, presides over guilty pleas, daily postponement requests, and assigns cases to judges for trial. In the afternoon, the judge presides over initial appearances for unrepresented defendants.

The judge sitting in the Misdemeanor Reception Court, during the morning docket, presides over district court appeals, guilty pleas, daily postponements, and assigns cases to judges for trial. In the afternoon, the judge presides over hearings for defendants arrested on TBA and FTA warrants.

The adult Drug Treatment Court is a sanction based program that provides judicial supervised treatment to offenders with substance abuse dependencies. The offender is recommended to participate in the program by the Court, the Assistant State’s Attorney, and his/her defense attorney.

The Mental Health Court is a judicially supervised treatment court that oversees offenders charged with low-level criminal offenses, who have been diagnosed with serious mental illness. The participants are identified through mental health screening and assessments. The overarching goal of the court is to provide its participants with treatment and support services to lower the recidivism of this population.